No. XXIV.—SHAKESPEARE’S MANTLE
Ingenious cryptic efforts have been made to prove that Bacon was the author of Shakespeare’s plays, but it has been reserved for us to reveal, by a convincing cryptogram, the modern wearer of his mantle.
The secret is disclosed by a line of capital letters shown below:—
| Mac | B | eth. |
| Oth | E | llo. |
| Comedy of Er | R | ors. |
| Merchant of Ve | N | ice. |
| Coriol | A | nus. |
| Midsummer Night’s D | R | eam. |
| Merry Wives of Win | D | sor. |
| Measure for Mea | S | ure. |
| Much Ado about Not | H | ing. |
| Antony and Cleop | A | tra. |
| All’s Well that ends | W | ell. |
41. MISSING WORDS
Till a man is as ——— of a ——— as his palm is,
We ——— him from earning his ——— in our armies.
The missing words are spelt with the same five letters.
42. THE PAUPER’S PLAINT
Pale penury that ——— social bands,
And any link that ——— worth to fame,
Take ye the blame for my inactive hands,
I ——— in vain to build upon the sands,
Without a ——— who can make a name?